Irishmen McIlroy, Lowry chase down Zurich Classic team title in a playoff

World number two Rory McIlroy made a winning debut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Shane Lowry when they got the better of the unfancied pairing of Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer at Avondale on Sunday.

The Northern Ireland-Ireland combo needed a playoff to seal victory at the $8.9 million event which is the only team tournament on the PGA Tour schedule after the two pairs had finished regulation locked together on 25 under par totals.

On the first playoff hole at TPC Lousiana, Frenchman Trainer pushed a short par putt wide of the cup to give McIlroy his 25th tour title and Lowry his third. It was the fifth playoff of the season and the third at the Zurich Classic (2017 and 2021 previously) after the event shifted to the team format in 2017. 

“To win any PGA Tour event is very cool, but to do it with one of your closest friends — we’ve known each other for a long, long time, probably like over 20 years,” McIlroy said later. “To think about where we met and where we’ve come from, to be on this stage and do this together — really, really cool journey that we’ve been a part of.”

In Sunday’s alternate shot format foursomes, McIlroy and Lowry finished with a 4 under 68 after having started two strokes behind the overnight leaders Patrick Fishburn and Zach Blair, who would eventually share fourth place with a 23 under par total.

Trainer and his American partner Ramey had earlier finished Sunday’s final when they matched the event foursomes record with a 63 to set the clubhouse target that the Irish duo chased down with an 18th hole birdie chance which Lowry converted.

“It was great fun all week, everything about it was just brilliant,” the burly 2019 Open champion said later. “I've enjoyed every minute of it, like having this man by my side is just -- yeah, you seen the drive he hit up the 18th, the 72nd hole. When you've got him doing that, it's pretty easy to play golf from there 
for me.

“You're sitting there having your breakfast this morning before we go out, and you see the trees out there, they're whipping. It's pretty windy. Like the boys (Trainer and Ramey) shooting 63, that is an unbelievable score in those conditions, in that format. We get off to a slow start, we see we're five back. The boys have already finished. 

“We thought maybe if we'd try and get to 26 -- we never really spoke about it, but that's what I thought in my head. But to play the last 12 holes in 5-under I think was very, very good. It showed a lot about our characters and how much we wanted to win this thing.” 

Another unheralded duo, Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard, nearly made the playoff as well. Needing a birdie to match the total set by Trainer and Ramey, they missed out when Brehm’s putt stopped near the edge of the cup. It was still good enough to secure third place with a 24 under total.

McIlroy, 34, and Lowry, 36, walked away with $1.29 million winners’ cheques each. 
For the former it was a first win of 2024 and followed his 2023 Genesis Scottish Open victory and ensured that he would carry on a record of at least one title in each of the last seven seasons. It was also his third title on debut at an event after the 2010 Wells Fargo Championship and the 2019 Canadian Open.

“The fans and the atmosphere all week has been incredible. People have come out in the thousands to support us. It's not lost on me how cool that is,” McIlroy said at the post-victory press conference. “Every time I get to play in front of thousands of people, the little boy in me just thinks it's so cool and so exciting. 

“Really grateful for everyone to come out and show up and let us play in an atmosphere like that, and yeah, especially in front of all those people, coming down to those last few holes, yeah, you start to feel it and you start to -- it felt like a big-time atmosphere and a big-time tournament. The crowd really made the weekend.

“Yeah, I think getting the support out there definitely helps. I think more than anything else, having this guy (Lowry) to lean on, that was what fuelled me and what -- I think being able to rely on each other a little bit, I think that's what really helped us over the last 10 or 11 holes yesterday and over the last 12 holes today.”